Clamp



April 18,1950 G. D. RUETZ 2,504,455

CLAMP Filed Feb. 18, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 60 INVENTOIR GEORGE D.F\UETZ ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAMP George D. Ruetz, l tacine, Wis. Application February is, 1946, Serial No. 648,239

3 Claims. 1

This invention appertains'to clamps and more particularly to a novel chuck or clamp for automatically engaging and holding work upon the mere insertion of the work into the clamp, so that the manual setting and adjusting of gripping jaws or other members is eliminated.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a chuck or clamp embodying a casing with clamping jaws therein movable to a gripping position by the insertion of the object ex to be grasped in the casing, the jaws being mounted in a novel manner, whereby the same will automatically center and adjust themselves relative to the object to be grasped.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide novel means for slidably and rockably mounting the jaws on a sliding work receiving guide plate or socket, so that said jaws can shift laterally on the plate to accommodate different sizes and contours of work;

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for slidably mounting the work receiving plate or socket in the casing or housing, whereby the plate will effectively support the clamping jaws and whereby free sliding movement of the plate in the housing, without binding, is assured.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a chuck or clamp of the above character which is particularly useful as a Christmas tree or staff holder.

A still further object of my invention is to provide novel means for associating a stand with the housing, whereby the device can be readily used as a Christmas tree or flag staff holder, as stated above.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a Christmas tree holder in which the supporting legs therefor can be readily and quickly associated with the housing or detached from the housing, the legs and holder making a compact bundle for shipping or storage when the legs are disconnected from the holder.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my novel chuck or clamp with parts thereof broken away and in section to illustrate structural details.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through my device, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but taken at right angles thereto, the view being substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of my improved device, certain of the supporting legs being shown broken away.

Fig.5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the novel means of mounting-the slide plate or socket and the jaws in the housing.

Fig.6 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating more particularly the association of the legs with the leg carrying bottom plate.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view showing the legs assembled on the leg supporting plate to form a stand for receiving the housing 01' the clamp.

Fig. 8' is a detail side elevational view showing one leg connected with the leg supporting plate, with the leg and plate ready to be disconnected.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing the leg turned on the plate and ready for removal therefrom.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corre sponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates my improved chuck or clamp. Only one form of my invention has been shown and the form illustrated is particularly useful for holding Christmas trees, flag staffs, or the like, but it is to be understood that the clamp or chuck is not limited to such use.

As illustrated, the clamp or chuck C comprises a casing or housing It! formed from any preferred material and this housing includes side walls I I, I2, I 3, and Hi. All of these walls are connected by a bottom wall l5. Thus a casing or housing is formed which is open at its top only and thus this housing or casing can be filled, or partially filled, with water when the same is used as a Christmas tree holder. In accordance with my invention I provide cam tracks IS on the walls H and I3 and these cam tracks can be formed directly in said walls, as is clearly shown in the drawings.

Slidably mounted within the casing or housing I0 is a slide plate I l and the central portion of this plate is provided with a socket 18 for a purpose which will later appear. The plate is of such a size and configuration that the same will snugly fit and engage the inner faces of the walls of the casing. However, this engagement is such as to permit free sliding movement of the plate in the housing without lateral shifting. The opposite side edges of the plate are provided with guide grooves l9 and it is to be noted that these guide grooves open out through the opposite ends of the plate, but terminate short of the trans verse center or the plate. At this time, attention is also called to the fact that the cam tracks IS on opposite sides of the plate I! define guide ways 20 therebetween, for a purpose which will be late! set forth.

Operating in conjunction with the slide plate 4 jaws will be pulled outwardly and the plate I! will be raised therewith. This is aided by the light tension coil spring 26.

Attention is also called to the fact that, as the lower ends of the jaws are bifurcated, work of relatively large diameters can be placed into the clamp. Also, as the lower ends of the jaws can move in the opposite directions, work of re1atively great diameters can be accommodated and the jaws will adjust themselves to the size of the work.

When the device is to be used as a Christmas tree holder, or the like, the casing or housing I! are gripping jaws 2i and 22. The lower ends of the jaws are bifurcated and the terminals of the legs thus formed are provided with sockets 23, into which are fitted guide and rock pins 24. The legs of the jaws straddle the opposite sides of the slide plate H and the guide and rock pins 24 are fitted within the guide grooves is formed in the sides of the plate. The jaws extend beyond the sides of the slide plate [.7 and are received within the guide ways in the housing and consequently the outer faces of the jaws bear against the cam tracks 4-6. These cam or wedge tracks are inclined downwardly and inwardly and, consequently, upon downward movement of the slide plate and the jaws, the jaws will be forced inwardly toward 'one another clue to their engagement with said cam tracks.

The upper ends of the jaws 21 and 22 are provided with any preferred type of gripping jaw faces '25 and these jaw faces, as shown, extend angularly relative to the body portions of the jaws.

Great stress is laid the fact that the jaws 2| and 22 are slidably as well as rockably carried by the slide plate 11., :as this is important due to the fact that the lower inner ends of the jaws can move inwardly and outwardly relative to one another on the slide plate. Thus the jaws can center and adjust themselves relative to the work.

If desired, an expansion spring 26 can be placed in the housing or casing H) between the bottom wall 5 thereof and the plate 41 and these walls can be provided with bosses for holding the spring in place against accidental displacement. The spring normally functions to raise the plate and :move the jaws to a raised open position, as show-n in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This facilitates the entrance of the work into the housing or casing and between the jaws.

It is to be particularly noted that the side edges of the jaws 2i and 22 engage the inner faces of the walls H and 43 of the casing 46 and hence, lateral shifting of the jaws is prevented. in fact the jaw-s are efiectively confined between the slide plate 41 and the walls H and l 3.

In operation of my ciamp or chuck, the work is inserted in the clamp and in the socket is of the slide plate. The work is now forcibly moved toward the inner end of the casing and this carry the slide plate and jaws also toward the inner end oi the housing or casing. :As the jaws ride on the cam tracks, the ends thereof will be forced into intimate gripping contact with the opposite sides of the work and, obviously, the further the work is pushed into the casing, the tighter the jaws will grip the same.

To remove the work it is merely necessary to pull outwardly on the some and due to the enzagement of the jaw :faces with the work, the

can be associated with a supporting stand 21.

This stand 21 includes supporting legs 28 of like and a leg is provided for each wall of the casing or housing. Eiach leg 28 includes a straight portion 29 and an outwardly curved base or foot portion 38. These legs are adapted to be assembled on and connected with a holding and supporting ,plate 3!. The plate 31 corresponds to the shape of the bottom wall of the casing 01' housing and the side edges of the plate are provided with outwardly projecting i -shaped lock heads 32.

Each leg 28 adjacent to the lower end of the body portion thereof is provided with a keyhlole slot 33. In assembling the legs, each leg is taken in turn and placed parallel with the assembly plate 3! (see Fig. 9) so that the T-shaped head :32 thereof can be inserted in the keyhole slot 33. When this is done the leg is turned at right angles to the vpzlaate (see -89, after which the plate is moved downwardly so that the narrow or neck portions of the T-shaped heads '32 will ride into the narrow portions of the keyhole slots.

The-assembled legs are shown Fig. 7 and when the legs are assembled the casing or housing to is slid down between the legs on to the plate 3!. As the casing .is slid down, the upp r ends of the legs are fitted into sockets 3e carried by the side walls of the casing adjacent to the upper ends thereof. This forms a strong rugged stand and the construction is such that the easing can be quickly removed from the stand, when it is desired to ship or store the device. Obviously. when the legs 28 are disconnected from the assembly plate 3i, the legs and assembly plate, in connection with the casing, will make a compact bundle.

Various changes in details can be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

l. A clamp comprising a body, wedge shaped cam tracks carried by said body, a slide plate fitted snugly in said body for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, gripping jaws extending across said body having their inner ends bifurcated and straddling said plate, mean rockably connecting the inner ends of the jaws to the plate, said .j'aws being movable with the plate, whereby, upon inward movement of the plate, the jaws will be moved toward one another .into gripping position by their engagement with the wedge shaped cam tracks.

2. A clamp comprising a body having longitlldinally extending cam tracks, a plate slidably mounted in said body and guided by the walls thereof, the opposite sides of the plate being provided with guide grooves, opposed gripping jaws having their inner ends bifurcated extending across the plate, pins carried by the inner ends of the jaws slidably anti rockably mounted in the guide ways, said jaws extending beyond the plate and engag-mgsaidcam tracks.

3. A clamp comprising a body, wedge shaped cam tracks carried by said body, a slide plate fitted snugly in said body for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, gripping jaws extending across said body having their inner ends bifurcated and straddling said plate, means rockably connecting the inner ends of the jaws to the plate, said jaws being movable with the plate, whereby, upon inward movement of the plate, the jaws will be moved toward one another into gripping posi tion by their engagement with the wedge shaped cam tracks, said jaws having their side edges slidably engaging the inner faces of the body, said jaws being confined in said body between said slide plate and the walls of said body.

GEORGE D. RUETZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

